Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Escherichia coli Isolates Recovered from the Uterus of Mares with Fertility Problems

is the bacterial pathogen most frequently associated with mare infertility. Here, we characterized 24 strains isolated from mares which presented signs of endometritis and infertility from a genotypic and phenotypic point of view. The majority of the isolates belonged to phylogenetic group B1 (9/24,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2023-05, Vol.13 (10), p.1639
Main Authors: Nocera, Francesca Paola, Maurizi, Linda, Masullo, Angelo, Nicoletti, Mauro, Conte, Antonietta Lucia, Brunetti, Francesca, De Martino, Luisa, Zagaglia, Carlo, Longhi, Catia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amoxicillin
Ampicillin
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics
Bacteria
Bacterial infections
biofilm formation
Biofilms
Clavulanic acid
Endometritis
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli (E. coli)
Fertility
Genital microflora
Genitourinary tract
Horses
Infertility
Ions
mares
Microorganisms
Multidrug resistance
multidrug-resistant strains
phylogenetic group
Phylogeny
Strains (organisms)
Uterus
Veterinary medicine
Virulence
Virulence factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:is the bacterial pathogen most frequently associated with mare infertility. Here, we characterized 24 strains isolated from mares which presented signs of endometritis and infertility from a genotypic and phenotypic point of view. The majority of the isolates belonged to phylogenetic group B1 (9/24, 37.5%). Regarding antibiotic resistance profiles, 10 out of 24 (41.7%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Moreover, 17 out of 24 (70.8%) were strong or moderate biofilm producers, and of these eight were MDR strains. Interestingly, 21 out of 24 (87.5%) strains were phenotypically resistant to ampicillin and 10 of them were also resistant to amoxicillin with clavulanic acid. Regarding the presence of selected virulence factors, 50% of the examined strains carried at least three of them, with detected in all strains, and followed by (11/24, 45.9%). No strain was able to invade HeLa cell monolayers. No relevant differences for all the investigated characteristics were shown by strains that grew directly on plates strains requiring the broth-enrichment step before growing on solid media. In conclusion, this work provides new insight into strains associated with mares' infertility. These results broaden the knowledge of and, consequently, add useful information to improve prevention strategies and therapeutic treatments contributing to a significant increase in the pregnancy rate in mares.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani13101639